The Roma still suffer the legacy of slavery

It referred to "Gypsy crime", yet this is the main slogan of the East European far right, whose hate rhetoric is now reaching genocidal pitch. The report used the English word "Gypsy", when Romany organisations far prefer the name Roma. In Romania, successive governments have banned the word "Roma" for fear of confusion with "Romanian", a fear that is well founded, since the Roma may constitute almost 20% of the population, and forced miscegenation took place over 500 years of slavery. The long history of slavery in Romania remains little recorded. So does the fact that many of the "Romanian orphans" were Roma, whose progress towards rehabilitation is hampered by skin-colour prejudice.

At first, there was a very competent full-time warden. However, she left and was replaced by a "manager" who interacted only sporadically with the residents. Several residents saw no one and were prisoners in their own homes. The warden had visited everyone at least twice daily, bringing the much longed-for "human touch". The landlords told us that a vote had been taken with regard to employing another full-time warden but had warned the residents that "this would be costly".

The day my mother died, a carer from an agency rang the bell to her flat; when there was no reply she left without alerting anybody on site. Our dear mother was left to die alone because of "cost".

Angela Huskisson

South Petherton, Somerset

Men suffer reduced fertility too

The idea that women of 30 and over and are not aware of their reducing fertility is offensive ("Women at 30 urged to test for fertility," News). I am a single 33-year-old woman and would like to have children. It is well known that a woman's fertility reduces at 35. What isn't as well documented is that men's fertility also reduces with age. So instead of writing this email I should find a man who will father my children.

Donna McManus

London E17

A funny idea of independence

Has no one told Denis MacShane MP that "independence" and "authority" are no longer words we associate with the Commons ("Commons will be robbed of independence and authority", News)? Most people feel the Commons has long since lost its authority. And after 12 years of a Labour government, with barely a Commons defeat to its name, the concept of independence is laughable. It's a shame Mr MacShane has not shown more independence himself. On all the controversial issues – Iraq, tuition fees, ID cards, detention for 90 days without trial – he has lined up behind the government. If this is his idea of independence, we should welcome a new wave of MPs who may give us the fresh start we deserve.

Pete Pattisson, Lib Dem prospective MP for Lewisham East

London SE4

Seared scallops for kids? Get real

As the mum of two, I was looking forward to your 10-page special on How to Cook for Kids (OM). Never have I read such pretentious nonsense. Salmon saltimbocca? Seared scallops? Radish, watercress and feta salad? Hello? For most parents, such luxuries would rarely make it on to the menu; instead, it's about feeding our families as best we can on a tight budget.

Michele Hart

Manchester

Pregnant women lose out at work

Your feature on pregnancy and bullying in the workplace struck a chord ("Pregnant staff face new wave of bullying in recession", Business). A similar thing happened to me eight years ago, and it is depressing to read that little has changed. I went part time after my first child and, expecting my second, went on maternity leave again. A week before my leave was due to end, I was let go. Part-timers are always the first to go when companies implement redundancies. These posts are almost always held by women with caring responsibilities, and employers are well versed in finding legal loopholes.

Sue Bond, national vice president, Public and Commercial Services Union

London SW11

I'm not a pacifist, but I hate war

Mary Warnock's answer to the question, 'Are you a pacifist?' (the Observer Panel) was extremely significant to me. I remember when France was overrun by the Nazi army. We could see the French coast and "Defence of the Realm" meant just that; especially as my two elder brothers lost their lives fighting abroad in 1943. Like the baroness I cannot claim to be a pacifist, but the last three wars Britain has gone into will cause harm for generations to come, and were almost certainly avoidable.

John Ridpath

Devon

A charter for rogues and charlatans

Jamie Doward's account of the ever-more chaotic situation regarding state regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors via the Health Professions Council makes some omissions ("Therapists split over regulation", News). Proposals to root out "charlatans" are a nonsense. Many rogues and charlatans will be properly registered: the standards for entry to the register are extremely low.

Over 3,500 leading psychotherapists have signed petitions opposing the government's plans. These principled non-compliers use, quite legitimately, titles including psychoanalyst, Jungian analyst, and psychopractitioner. They are not health professionals and the HPC has defined psychotherapy in such a way that it is no longer what they do. Now the umbrella organisations that used to oppose HPC regulation but then became slavish adherents to it are falling out among themselves. And this pursuit of money and status will help to protect the public? It is time for a rethink.

Professor Andrew Samuels

Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies University of Essex, Colchester

Love is... an ugly spouse

Searching for reasons why most women prefer scruffy, overweight men to the toned variety ("You flobby slob, now you're a sex symbol", David Mitchell, 7 Days), I am reminded of the West Indian calypso about the advantages of marrying a woman who is uglier than you. Clearly it works both ways.